Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

Yes, if you are willing to commute 45mins-1hr to most job centers. The inland areas of Poway, Carlsbad, etc will meet this criteria. These areas are pretty analogous to nice parts of San Jose.

"Value" areas like much of San Diego proper, Mira Mesa or La Mesa or Clairemont will hit some but never all of the criteria you've outlined in your OP.

If your criteria is single-family detached home, great school district (k-12), desirable area, reasonable yard / space, reasonable commute, etc, the answer is mostly no, because the areas that fit this bill are just like what you are used to in SF Bay, just bigger and nicer homes. IMO 600k is about the bottom end for most of those areas. Point Loma is probably is probably most affordable and you are looking at 1k/sf for the most part, so you are talking about a fixer in that price range. Compare Coronado, Point Loma, La Jolla, Del Mar to Burlingame, Palo Alto, San Mateo, etc.

I am someone who likes a bit of an urban vibe or a least a small town charm (like an actual downtown area where people hang out and eat/drink coffee) vs. a sprawling burb like maze of homes.

The type of area you would like are few and far between in San Diego especially in the suburbs with good schools. I remember in the Bay Area, even areas like Novato or Walnut Creek had small little urban centers like this. You won't find what you want in places like Mira Mesa, Mission Valley, La Mesa, Poway, Tierrasanta, Chula Vista. Those areas are mostly tract homes and strip malls, nothing like Rockridge which is what I picture you like.

You can find places like this in San Diego especially coastal but the price point will be the same or higher than the bay area. Remember too, the job scene in San Diego is NOTHING like the Bay Area. The job scene would be more comparable to Omaha rather than the Bay.

I want to relocate from the San Francisco bay area to an area safe for kids, good bike riding possibilites, and good schools for elementary age kids.

In the SF Bay Area to find a place like this you can buy a 1000 sf house for $600K.

It appears to be more affordable in San Diego, but I'm an outsider and maybe I am being fooled by all the attractive listing as I don't know where the choice areas are for families?

I am someone who likes a bit of an urban vibe or a least a small town charm (like an actual downtown area where people hang out and eat/drink coffee) vs. a sprawling burb like maze of homes.

My head swirls at the vast size of San Diego - La Mesa seems nice, Carlsbad seems nice, but I could really use some advice or a least a reality check.

Maybe I should just buy the 1200 sf house in San Rafael a block from a mini-highway at the bargain price of $550K?

We make six-figures and live paycheck to paycheck up here.....

Downtown La Mesa has the small town atmosphere and there are homes in that area in your price range and less. I don't know much about the quality of the schools but that should be easy enough to research online.

You get the nice urban feel south of the I-8 near Balboa Park, North Park neighborhoods, even east to Normal Heights and Kensington, but the schools might be a challenge. Easy commutes to downtown or UTC areas, great urban villages, good biking opportunities, cool weather so no AC needed. I moved here from Washington DC region and love Kensington.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.